Vacancy indicator for drive-in theaters



Ma 1953 A. H. REYNOLDS 2,632,156

VACANCY INDICATOR FOR DRIVE-IN THEATERS Filed May 1, 1950 3 SheetsSheet l INVENTOR 55 Y JZHReynO ATTORNEYS March 17, 1953 A. H. REYNOLDS 2,632,156

VACANCY INDICATOR FOR DRIVE-IN THEATERS Filed May 1, 1950 3 ShGG'tS-Sht 2 INVENTOR iHReyno ZzZs BY 4 a 6 ATTORNEYS March 17, 1953 A. H. REYNOLDS 2,632,156

VACANCY INDICATOR FOR DRIVE-IN THEATERS Filed May 1, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 5 INVENTOR {xiii-23 720258 ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 17, 1953 VACANCY INDICATOR FOR DRIVE-1N THEATERS Albert H. Reynolds, Dallas, Tex., assignor to Claude Ezell & Associates, Inc., Dallas, Tex.

Application May 1, 1950, Serial No. 159,319

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a vacancy indicating means in drive-in theaters.

In drive-in theaters portable audio or speaker units are removably mounted on supports or posts which are arranged throughout the parking area for vehicles and these units are removed from their supports and placed within a vehicle which is parked adjacent to the support. At present no means has been provided whereby the driver of a vehicle entering the parking area is able to determine whether there is a vacant space in a particular row Without driving along such row. This procedure results in considerable confusion and annoyance to people in parked vehicles particularly where a row is found to be filled so that the incoming vehicle must then cruise about the area to find a vacant location. It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a means whereby the driver of an incoming vehicle may determine whether there are any vacant positions in a particular row when the driver is at one end of a row.

In the carrying out of this invention there is an illuminable panel at one or both ends of a row of speaker units and the lights of the panel are illuminated through closing of one or more switches at each vehicle location at the time the speaker unit or units are removed from the support.

Another object of this invention is to provide an indicating panel which not only includes individual lights for each vehicle location but also includes a full indication which will only be illuminated when all of the vehicle locations are occupied.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the arrangement, combination and details of construction disclosed in the drawings and specification, and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of a drive-in theater having mounted within the parking area thereof vacancy indicating means constructed according to an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a detailed side elevation partly broken away and in section of one of the switch units within the parking area.

Figure 3 is the plan view of the unit.

Figure 4 is a detailed end elevation of one of the units with the speakers removed therefrom.

Figure 5 is a detailed front elevation of one or the annunciator units.

Figure 6 is an end elevation partly broken away and in section of one of the annunciator units.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view showing the electric circuits embodied in this invention.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional View taken on the line 99 of Figure 7.

Referring to the drawings the numerals l to 13, inclusive, indicate arcuate rows of parking locations disposed in a position whereby the occupants of the vehicles may view the picture which is projected onto the screen [5. At each parking position in each row there are disposed a pair of loud speaker units it which are detachably mounted on upright posts 11. In the present instance each post I! has mounted on the upper end thereof a switch housing generally designated as 18 which is formed at its lower end with a collar It. The housing 18 includes a top wall 20 which is formed with an opposed pair of U-shaped upstanding members 2| which are engaged by a hook shaped arm 22 fixed to the speaker unit l6.

An annunciator housing generally designated as 23 is disposed at one end of each row of parking positions, being disposed at the entrance of each row. The annunciator housing 23 is mounted on an upright post 24 and includes separable upper and lower housing members 25 and 26. A panel 21 is carried by the front walls 23 and 29 of the housing members 25 and 26 and has mounted therein a plurality of jewels 30. Th housing 23 is divided into a plurality of light compartments 3! by means of upstanding partitions 32, and a light bulb 33 is mounted in each compartment 3 l.

The light bulbs 33 are carried by sockets 34 which are secured to a base plate 35, and the plate 35 divides the lower housing member 26 into an additional light compartment 36 within which a light bulb 3'! carried by a socket 38 is positioned. A transparent panel 39 is disposed at the front of the compartment 36 and has formed thereon the character-s 40 which in the present instance spell the word full. A panel 4| is disposed in the front of the upper housing member 25 and has characters 42 disposed thereon which spell the word vacancies.

An arrow 43 is also carried by the panel 42 and is directed downwardly so that the driver will know that the jewels 30 indicate vacancies when the jewels are lighted or indicate full positions when the jewels are unlighted by the bulbs 33. A numbered tag 44 is carried by each support 24 so as to designate the row numbers of the vehicle locations. In order to provide a means whereby associated light bulbs 33 will not be lighted when corresponding speaker units I6 are removed from the supporting structures including the switch housing M, I have provided a spring pressed normally open switch 45 which has a projecting operator 46 extending from an end wall 4'! of the switch housing H8. The switch operator 46 is disposed in a position to be engaged by a speaker unit It when the latter is mounted on the supporting housing=i-8so-that=the switch operator 46 will be pushed inwardly to a circuit closing position. There are two of these switches 45 and 45a disposed one .at each end of the switch housing I8, and these two'switches 45 and 4500 are connected together in series by a conductor 48. The movable armed-9 of switch:

45 is connected to a supply wimLBilgand theJstationary contact of switch ifimis connected by means of a wire 52 to one sideof'alight'bulb 33. The other side of the light bulb 33 is connected to a common ground or a negative wire 53..

'The "run" indicating light 101.1119 31 is illuminated when all of the light bulbs 33 .of one indicator or annunciator are unlightedbymeans of series connected switches 54 and 55. Switch 554 is operatively connected with switch 45 by aninsulating connector 56, and switch 55 is connected bymeans'of an insulating connector 5.? to switch 45a. The last one of the series connected switches 54 and 55 is connected-by means .of a conductor58 to one side of'the light bulb .37, and the other vside of the light'bu'lb 3? is connected bymeans .of a conductor59 to a negative line 53. In the use and operation of this system .and apparatus, each speaker supporting .post I? will have mounted on the upper end thereof a combined speaker support and switch housing 18. There may be one or more speaker .units i5 mounted onthe .housing I8, and in the present instance .it is contemplatedthatthere be two of these speaker units on each switch housing [8. When the hook 22 is engaged withthe keeper or- U-shaped member 2| the speaker unit .16 will gravitatingly swing inwardly toward the adjacent end wall 4'! of housing 18 and will thereby move the switch operator l6 inwardly to a circuit closing position. When the speaker unit it is removed from the support, operator .46, which is normally-biased outwardly to a circuit breaking position, will move outwardly and thereby permit opening of oneof the vacancy indicating-switches such as switch 45. Whenboth of the speaker units have been removed from the support, ,the two switches 45 and 45a will be in circuit breaking position thereby turning out lightbulb 33.

When a vehicle driver moves along :the incom- 4 ing side of the vehicle locations, any vacant positions can be readily determined by viewing the indicator or annunciator 23. If any jewels are lighted, the vehicle driver will know which one of the vehicle positions are unoccupied and can enter the row of vehicle locations so as to park the vehicle in an unoccupied position. In the event all-of the jewels are :unlighted the cir- "cuit through the series connected-switches 54 and will be closed to the full indicating light bulb 33.7. In the event only one of the speaker units is removed ,from the support, the associated light Lbulb'tii will not be lighted as one switch 45 will help circuit breaking position due to removal of one f: apair of :speaker units.

:Thestructurethereinbefore described will provide .a means whereby incoming drivers will be able-to determine'by a glance at the annunciator =or indicating member 23 whether any vehicle 10- cations are vacant in any particular row. This will eliminate any cruising about in theparking area of vehicles so that the occupants Jof'the vehicles already in the parking positions'will notibe disturbed.

What is claimed'is:

A-circuit closingm'eans for a 'vacancyi'indicator means for drive-in theaters including fa "support-- ingpost adaptedto be disposed at a vehi'c lel ocation, a housing von the upper end of said post, a signal means, a circuit therefor, and tatnornially open switch carried by said housing said circuit closing means including .a laterally projecting operator disposed .at one .end of said housing, a loudspeaker unit, a laterally projecting hookshaped-arm carried .by said unit, aj-keeper carried by the top ,of :said .housing engageable by said armto suspendinglysupport saidunit atone end of said housing .in confronting position to said operatorswhereby the latter will be .moved by pressure of said unit thereagainst to switch closing position.

ALBERT -I-I. REYNOLDS.

REFERENCES CITED The :followingreierences are of record .in the file ..of thisqpatent:

' UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,459,628 Hockaday ,June .19, 1923 2,106,912 Herzberg ,Feb. 1,,1 938 2,399,665 Putt "Deal-1,1945 2,463,339 Wetzel et al. Mar. 1, 1949 2,482,610 Burn ",Sep,t. 20,1949 2,554,223 Szabo May 22,1951 2,572,521 ,Rogers Oct. .23, 1951 

